


Winner's Keeper's, Essentially

by paradoxicalconverse



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: ?? - Freeform, F/F, Fluff, Kinda, Princess AU, kingdom au, like at the end i guess a lil bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-07 02:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4245846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradoxicalconverse/pseuds/paradoxicalconverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Princess AU that no one wanted where Laura must be married and Carmilla may or may not be a suitor vying for her hand</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winner's Keeper's, Essentially

**Author's Note:**

> I feel as though this started off solidly and then I just got lazy and tired and it all sort of went downhill. Either way. Lemme know in the comment below?

Papa Hollis dug his fingers into his temples, attempting to soothe the ache that throbbed there. Eyes closed, a sigh of annoyance slipped from between his lips. “Laura,” he muttered after a moment. “This isn’t a choice you are free to make. I am the king, I make the decisions.”

 Laura jutted her chin up higher, folding her arms over the corset bound underneath her dress, as all ladies wore. The corset, of course, was suffocating when she did so, but she’d already committed to the movement and refused to back down from the stare in her father’s eyes when he once again realigned their gazes. “I won’t marry, father, and your decision of the suitors will do nothing to alter my stance on the matter.”

  _Spoken like a well-read lady_ , he thought with pride, though voicing his concern differently. “Laura, I’m not quite positive that you’re understanding. You don’t _get_ a choice, and that is the final ruling. You will marry who I say you will marry. No questions asked. Back to your chambers now, and I won’t hear another word subject. Are we clear?”

 Laura’s eyes hardened in anger, though she knew better than to speak out against her father, King of Silas. She jumped to her feet, trying not to suck in large lungfuls of air once the corset allowed her airways access again. “Father,” she nodded curtly, voice cold and curtsy forced. As she turned to go, he spoke again.

 “The tournaments for finding which suitor shall hold the honor of taking your hand in marriage will be held in a fortnight. I do hope that your attitude regarding the matter will have changed by then.”

 The princess turned, forcing a chilled smile over her lips. “Perhaps, father. And perhaps the sun will collide with the earth tomorrow. The latter is just as likely as the former.”

 Papa Hollis ran a hand through his scraggly beard. “Goodnight, Laura. I should hope to see you sometime tomorrow, if schedule permits it.”

 Laura sauntered from the room without another word.

…

 Two weeks came and passed, Laura growing more anxious by the day. Just the thought of having to offer her hand in marriage to one of _them_ made her sick to her stomach. She’d stopped dreaming of her prince in shining armor rescuing her from her castle years ago and ever since, had only dreamt of a princess preforming the same deed.

 A knock on the door startled her from her reverie. “The door is open, Perry,” she called out, voice soft. The red-headed handmaiden bustled in, flaming curls bouncing out of her bun.

 “Laura!” She scolded after having taken note that the girl was still submerged up to her neck in her bubble bath. “You should’ve been dressed an hour ago! The tournament is starting in a half hour! What in heaven’s name are you doing?” She began to swish about, collecting pieces from the dress Laura was required to dress in for the suitors.

 “Ignoring my sense of responsibility and choosing to stay in this bath tub all day, if I must,” Laura muttered, lowering herself even further into the now-lukewarm water.

 “A lady does not run from her responsibilities, dear,” Perry cooed, ushering the younger girl to remove herself from the bath with hand motions.

 “Well, those ladies are much braver than I,” Laura groaned, frustratedly hoisting herself from the tub so Perry could dry her off and begin to dress her. “Those ladies are probably happily married, as I’m sure I won’t be.”

 “I wouldn’t be so sure, m’lady. I do believe I saw a suitor down there who _might_ just catch your eye.” Perry winked and tied up the last lace on the dress, before giving the fabric a once-over and disappearing from the room in a whirl of orange curls and floury clothing.  

…

 The tournament had already begun with the first competitor up in arms against a bear (King Hollis had an odd yet deep anger with the creatures) when Laura had just begun hurrying out of the castle, hiking her dress up to run faster. Father would be angry if she was late enough for the suitors to begin to notice her absence.

 So caught up in her own thoughts, she’d hardly taken any mind to where she was going and ran smack into the body in front of her, knocking both parties down, landing heavily on top of the well-armored person beneath her. The helmet of the armor slammed into a rock, rolling off and a few feet away, revealing the identity below her. Black curled fanned out beautifully on the ground below, piercing midnight eyes dazedly glancing around for a moment as they tried to clear up from being slammed so heavily into the ground. A jawline capable of cutting glass, straight white teeth.

 A woman, dressed like a man, was sprawled beneath her. The princess was laying atop a _lady._ Laura felt her breath freeze in her lungs, her heart beginning to kick into action erratically, pounding against her ribcage as though screaming, _Free me! Free me!_ She couldn’t tear herself away from those eyes, so dark yet so full of knowledge, the most beautiful pair of eyes she’d ever seen.

 “Look, cutie,” the woman spoke after a moment, her voice a slight husk that sent shivers of electricity down Laura’s spine, “as much as I enjoy beautiful women lying on top of me, this maybe isn’t the best time for this to happen.”

 Laura snapped back to her senses, shaking her head and swinging herself over the body below her and making her way to her feet, nervously beginning to ring her hands together as a stream of words began to fall uncoordinatedly from her mouth. “Of course, I’m so sorry! I’m so clumsy, I wasn’t looking where I was running, and I got in your way, I really should have looked where I was going. My father is just going to be so angry with me when he finds out that I’m late, and again I’m really sorry for running into you, I just—”

 “As adorable as your rambling is, I’ve got somewhere to be, and from the looks of it, you do to. So until then, I’ll see you, okay, Sundance?” The unnamed woman pushed herself to her feet, brushed off her helmet and slipped it over her head, fitting it back into place before giving a half-hearted wave to Laura and sprinting off silently, disappearing into the oncoming crowd almost immediately.

…

 The bear had managed to injure at least five contestants so far, with six suitors left to face it. The creature was massive, over eleven feet while standing on its back legs, the mighty roar echoing throughout the crowd as it dropped back down to four paws, head swinging to face to next competitor. The man was bulky and large, corded muscles rippling underneath what little armor he had on. Armor was constricting, and apparently unnecessary.

 Despite his height, a lack of speed was his downfall, the bear swiping a gigantic paw against his side and knocking the suitor out, a large gash on his arm immediately beginning to spew blood.

 Papa Hollis began to chew his thumbnail nervously. Gandor, the brute of a man who had just been _annihilated_ , had had the greatest chance of winning and with only five men left, the odds of him having to reschedule another tournament were looking greater and greater. Laura sighed in relief beside her father. Surely a man that large would have _crushed_ her had they been sleeping in the same bed and accidentally rolled on top of her.

 Five turned to four, four morphed into three, three transformed into two, and yet, still no one had been able to kill or even injure the monstrous animal. “Two more,” King Hollis shouted, standing at the edge of the podium so that all could hear his booming voice. Only a slight waver in his voice betrayed his fear in the situation. “Two more suitors to battle the brute! Which one shall be lucky enough to take my beautiful daughter’s hand in marriage? Let us find out!”

 The bear roared appreciatively.

 The second suitor had been in the ring a whole five seconds before screaming in fear when the bear charged him and nearly falling on his own sword as he stumbled and fell. Only a swift roll to the side saved him from being mauled to death, but it was enough to alert the king of his cowardice, and boot him from the arena.

 The last, a slimmer suitor dressed entirely in armor, slunk into the arena, twirling their sword easily from hand to hand with ease. Only a slight flaw in the armor had Laura sitting forward in her seat, heart picking up speed as she watched the suited stranger twirl around the ring with an almost cat-like grace about themselves.

 Laura stifled a gasp when the competitor spun, back to the king. _There was a dent in the back of the helmet._

 A flick of the wrist here, a twirl there, not enough to seriously harm the bear but enough to anger it as the blade sunk into meaty portions of flesh. The challenger pricked the blade into the side of the animal, ducking as a massive paw nearly crushed their head in sideways. It was almost gleeful that the suitor moved about, parrying away the blows from the creature with a simple movement from their wrist.

 A slice to the stomach angered the bear beyond repair, and with the greatest roar it could muster, it collapsed sideways, and the suitor, unable to react fast enough, was crushed beneath it, the bear howling in pain as the blade visibly sliced through the side of the creature, killing it.

 The crowd was silent as the scene played out, waiting for any movement from beneath the bear, any sign that the suitor had somehow survived the monstrous impact. Wind whistled through the arena, silently screaming. Laura, on the other hand, felt as though she couldn’t suck enough air in, her breath pushing out in slight hiccups.

 Radio silence. The bear nor anything beneath it even budged. Laura felt her heart begin to beat faster. _No. No no no nononono—_

A slight ripple appeared to occur from underneath the bear, and the suitor pushed themselves from underneath, wriggling their legs until they had freed their entire body, then collapsed back onto the dirt, panting.

 Papa Hollis, still in shock, shakily made his way to his feet, then motioned for his servants to help the bruised soul up to the podium. It took several moment and a pair of makeshift crutches, but the now lone competitor was able to make their way up, hobbling and nearly falling twice on the steps. Laura felt her heart beat accelerate again at such close proximity.

 Mindful of the sporting injuries, King Hollis helped the suitor to the front of the podium and grabbed a hold of their fist, raising it high into the air. “May I present,” his voice boomed, “the suitor lucky enough to claim my daughter’s hand in marriage!”

 The crowd erupted into cheers and the king turned back to face the armored individual before him. “Unmask yourself, lad, and let the kingdom know your face and name!”

 Time seemed to move in slow motion and the person Laura knew to be the most beautiful girl in the entire world slowly shook herself from her helmet, swishing her head to let her midnight curls flow around her head, tucking her helmet underneath her arm and gazing out over the crowd with such an intensity in her eyes that Laura was sure anyone who looked directly at it would disintegrate on spot.

 “I’m Carmilla,” she shouted, her voice cracking halfway. “And I’m to marry your daughter!”

 An uneasy silence settled over the crowds as the gender of the suitor was revealed. “Impossible,” the king murmured, shock once again settling over him body. “You cannot possibly—”

 “I can, and I shall.” Carmilla leveled her gaze with the king’s, a brave feat the not many would do. “The rules of the tourney were simple. The suitor who defeats the bear marries the lady. I am a suitor. I defeated the bear. And I shall marry the lady. If, of course, the lady agrees.” Holding out a hand in acceptance, Laura entwined her fingers through Carmilla’s, and nodded curtly to her father, sealing the deal.

 “You know, Father, you were right. I did change my stance on the subject. This whole marriage thing might not be terrible after all.” Laura pressed a chaste kiss to Carmilla’s cheek and sauntered from the stage, leaving a flabbergasted king and a roaring kingdom behind her.

 

**Author's Note:**

> on tumblr as please-say-nine.tumblr.com
> 
> I had no idea how to end this so I'm sorry that it may have been a sucky ending. Commenting helps me not suck so much, if you liked it!


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